


say you'll always keep me

by zipplekink



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 02:39:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4811834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zipplekink/pseuds/zipplekink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Am I asleep, am I awake, or somewhere in between?</i><br/>I can’t believe that you are here and lying next to me<br/>Or did I dream that we were perfectly entwined?<br/>Like branches on a tree, or twigs caught on a vine?
</p>
<p>Cuddling fic based off of<a href="http://ziamfanfiction.tumblr.com/post/129142317896/trishdishes-ziamfanfiction-is-there-a-fic"> this post.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	say you'll always keep me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rosesnfeathers](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosesnfeathers/gifts).



> SO I was planning on taking a hiatus from writing, but I'm pretty sure Caro has made it her mission to keep me writing. I wrote this very quickly this morning, so hopefully it isn't awful. Please let me know what you think x 
> 
> (Also, I don't know if this is actually considered Domestic Ziam, but I added it to the Collection just because there needs to be more!!)

_Am I asleep, am I awake or somewhere in between? I can’t believe that you are here and lying next to me -_

Liam hums the tune, gentling his palm from where it rests against Zayn’s hip up his belly, flattening it against his chest. He snuggles closer to his back, lips grazing against the back of his neck as he concentrates on the way Zayn’s heart bumps steadily against his palm. It relaxes him, threatening to pull him back to sleep even though they both need to wake up soon and get ready to go to the airport.

Liam slides his toes against Zayn’s ankles before tangling their legs together more. The sheets are bunched up by their hips, the breeze from the window cool against their warm skin. Zayn’s is warmer, like a heater pressed to Liam’s front and he embraces the warmth, soaks it in until it runs deep, wrapping around his bones and burning down his spine.

_Or did I dream that we were perfectly entwined? Like branches on a tree, or twigs caught on a vine -_

He is careful not to move too much, only rub his lips against Zayn’s skin as not to wake the man wrapped in his arms. He is perfectly content with staying like this for forever, even though they have no choice but to go to the airport. He used to crave it, being able to have Zayn asleep in his bed, curled around him for more than just a quick kip in the car. Because it _means_ more this way.

_Like all those days and weeks and months I tried to steal a kiss, all those sleepless nights and dreams where I pictured this -_

Zayn is peaceful when he sleeps, all of his sharp edges softened, lips pouted and a wrinkle on the bridge of his nose like he doesn’t like whatever it is he dreams about. Liam wants it to be him he dreams about, hopes the way the pad of his fingers circle against his skin and the touch of his lips will coax images of them together in his mind, like the first time they kissed - hidden in the dark of Liam’s bunk, Zayn’s fingers under his chin and a glint in his eyes when he whispered, “ _Come on, come on then -”_

Or the first time they made love, in some hotel somewhere. Liam can’t remember much about the trip, only the way Zayn had felt wrapped around him, the sounds that left his lips when Liam stroked in deep. The twist of pleasure on Zayn’s face that had pushed Liam over the edge, and the way Zayn had wrapped his arms around Liam afterwards with a litany of _beautiful babe_ and compliments of the like pressed to his skin.

_I’m just the underdog who finally got the girl, and I am not ashamed to tell the world -_

Zayn exhales softly, fingers sliding up the sheets and curling around the arm Liam has tucked underneath the pillow he sleeps on. The wrinkle in his nose disappears, and Liam convinces himself that his lips quirk up some, like he is thinking about the first time Liam laid his feelings all out on the table, said the words he had been keeping to himself for years outloud.

It had been a little past midnight, with Zayn leaning against the brick wall of the studio, cigarette dangling between his lips and a foot propped against the wall. His fingers had been lingering underneath Liam’s shirt as he spoke about the music he had written and how he had been too nervous to tell him or any of the boys about it, because it was different - completely Zayn’s taste which always differed than the other’s.

It had just been a light touch against his belly, like the warmth in Liam’s skin could calm the nerves that had captured him and ease away the burn in his cheeks. Liam had interrupted him as he whispered some of the lyrics, cutting off the quiet _‘cause we are who we are when no one is watching_. He had blurted it out with his palms pressing to the wall behind Zayn’s head and their foreheads knocking together, his own cheeks flushing because he had been just as nervous as Zayn to admit how in love he was with him.

_Truly, madly, deeply, I am foolishly, completely falling  -_

Zayn’s eyes had crinkled as he laughed, a soft chuckle under his breath that fit the warmth in his eyes as he took in Liam’s serious expression. He had flicked away the cigarette, sliding both of his palms up Liam’s belly underneath his shirt before sliding them to his back. He had been quiet for a long time, it seemed like years to Liam before he whispered the words back. _And I am in love with you, Liam -_

_And somehow you kicked all my walls in, so baby say you’ll always keep me -_

It feels like it hadn’t been that long ago, but also like a lifetime has passed between then and now at the same time. It seems strange to him that there had been a time when Zayn wasn’t in his life, that there had been a time when this warmth hadn’t been wrapped around his heart, that this feeling in his chest hasn’t always been there.

_Truly, madly, crazy, deeply in love with you -_

Zayn thumb grazes against Liam’s skin as he shifts back in his sleep, face crumpling for a moment before it relaxes again. His eyelashes cast shadows across his cheekbones, and Liam shifts as carefully as he can to press his lips to them. He eases his arm from under Zayn to support him as he leans over his boyfriend, gentling a soft kiss to his parted lips before he rolls away.

_Should I put coffee and granola on a tray in bed, and wake you up with all the words that I still haven’t said?_

Liam pads through the hallway towards the kitchen, past the photos and drawings that Zayn had tacked to the wall because he didn’t want to wait for them to buy the proper sized frames. The scent of coffee lingers in the kitchen, his coffee pot being set on a timer because the smell of coffee seems to wake Zayn up better than anything else.

It is interesting to him, how they are as alike as they are different. Liam being able to wake the moment the sun peeks over the horizon but Zayn clings onto his sleep until noon. How Zayn can lay there for hours even when awake but Liam gets restless unless he has Zayn there with him. But they both need one foot under the sheets and one in the cool air, and neither one can sleep as well without the other anymore. Liam wakes up throughout the night when Zayn isn’t beside him, and he knows Zayn is the same because he always wakes up to text messages sent in the middle of the night of Zayn telling him in his Zayn way that he is thinking about him -

Liam pours Zayn a cup of coffee and snatches a box of Zayn’s favorite cereal before padding back towards their bedroom. He finds Zayn on his back, fingers laid out on his chest and mouth opened wide. He eyes the ink scattered across his torso and the way the morning sun glows against his skin as he places the coffee and cereal on his night stand. There are mouth shaped bruises staining his collarbone from the night before, when Liam wanted to burn his touch into Zayn’s skin so he can feel it while he is gone.

_And tender touches, just to show you how I feel,  or should I act so cool like it was no big deal?_

Liam traces a finger across Zayn’s jaw, feeling the scratchy stubble there that had burned across his thighs the night before. Zayn’s nose wrinkles again, thick brows pushing together and fingers scratching at his chest before he exhales.

Liam exhales too, still so overwhelmed that these are moments he gets to experience, countless times. Overwhelmed by the feeling in his chest that he swears one day he is going to overdose on. A feeling that Zayn had promised that would never go away the night before, when they spoke about forever and how Zayn couldn’t fathom Liam not being apart of that.

_Wish I could freeze this moment in a frame and stay like this, I’ll put this day back on replay and keep reliving it -_

Liam sits on the bed, carefully resting back beside Zayn. He grazes his lips to Zayn’s shoulder, sliding his fingers up Zayn’s arm to tangle with the hand on his chest. Zayn hums something, a vibration in his throat as his head turns towards Liam, cheek resting against his pillow.

“Baby,” Liam whispers against his skin. It is far too quiet to actually wake him up, but he whispers it again, easing kisses up his shoulder. He hopes Zayn can feel he puts all of his love into his fingertips and tries to coat Zayn's skin with it. “My love.”

_‘Cause here’s the tragic truth if you don’t feel the same, my heart would fall apart if someone said your name -_

He wants Zayn to stay here for the rest of the day, secure in their sheets and not boarding that dumb plane that will take him across the ocean, thousands of miles away. Even if it is for a short time and Zayn will call him eighty times a day because he knows he needs it, it isn’t the same as being pressed against each other. On tour, he always craved their breaks when it got closer to them, but he could only go a day without needing to be right next to Zayn again -

Liam slides his palm across Zayn’s cheek, cupping his jaw and grazing a thumb against his skin. Zayn’s nose wrinkles again, brows pushing together and it makes Liam smile, the way his face looks so much like it did when they first met when he sleeps - younger, quieter, innocent. They were both like that when they met, quiet and shy, glancing around with flushed cheeks while the others were loud and confident around them. The quiet ones -

Until Zayn knocked his shoulder against Liam’s, an overwhelmed look on his face as he bit at his already raw lips. “Bit crazy, innit? All this?”

Liam had frowned, glancing at the menu over the counter, not realizing Zayn meant the show and not the restaurant. “It’s just McDonalds. I was hoping we would go to KFC, to be honest.”

There had been a few more awkward conversations after that until they found the comfort they have now, becoming nearly inseparable because there was just something different about him and Zayn, different than his relationships with the other boys or the friends he had from back home. He just kept it to himself, fearful that the feeling would be unrequited.

_I hope I’m not a casualty, hope you won’t get up and leave. Might not mean that much to you, but to me it’s everything -_

“Leeyum,” Zayn whispers, voice heavy with sleep and making his accent thick as his name rolls past his tongue. He clenches his eyes closed but Liam sees the way the corners of his lips quirk up. His tongue flicks out, dragging out against his lower lip because his lips always get so dry in the night, because he refuses to sleep with the window closed.

Liam hums, ducking his head forwards to brush his lips against Zayn, trying to coax them open so he can wake up. Zayn just smiles more, groaning low in his throat like he wants Liam to stop but his arm curls around Liam’s back to tug him closer.

“Lemme sleep,” Zayn mutters, lips moving against Liam’s. “Jus’ a little longer, babe.”

“Need more time with you before you go,” Liam admits with a mutter before pressing his lips to Zayn’s. Zayn’s hand curls around the back of his neck, fingers brushing through the hair there as he kisses him back lazily, letting Liam do most of it. He flicks his tongue against Zayn’s lips, wetting them before coaxing them apart, wanting to wake Zayn up with a tongue curled against his own.

“You play unfair,” Zayn sighs, sliding his fingers through Liam’s hair. He finally flickers his eyes open when Liam pulls back some, heavy lidded and eyes bright with that fondness he only ever has for Liam.

He turns to his side, leg pushing between Liam’s and an arm curling around his shoulders. A ghost of a grin lingers to his lips as he searches Liam’s face and pretends to sniff the air. “Even coffee? Definitely unfair.”

Liam snorts, plopping his lips to Zayn’s forehead. His skin is even warmer than it was a moment ago, cheeks flushing a lovely shade of pink. The scent of his cologne and shampoo cover the sheets, and Liam makes a note to steal Zayn’s bottle just in case the scent fades while he is away.

“Don’t want you to be late. Your flight leaves in a few hours.”

Zayn groans, tucking his face underneath Liam’s chin. “Come to L.A. with me.”

Liam doesn’t respond, only cups Zayn’s jaw to drag his head back up so he can slot their lips back together. He kisses him a bit harder than before, earning a groan from Zayn that makes Liam press closer to him. He likes when it feels as if their bodies have molded into one, their heartbeats falling in sync with one another, Zayn’s exhales following Liam’s inhales.

Zayn throws a leg over Liam’s him, pulling him closer as he rests his head back against the pillow. Liam goes with him, leaning back over him as much as he can as their chests press together. His lips drag against Zayn’s, trying to imprint the feel of his mouth against his permanently. Or at least to last the whole time they are apart -

“Can I tell you something?” Zayn says hoarsely, peppering kisses to the corner of Liam’s mouth like he wants to imprint the feel of his too. “Something important?”

Liam hums, pulling back to take in the laughter clinging to Zayn’s features. His heart thumps heavily against his sternum and Zayn caresses circles against his skin like he knows.

“I am in love with you,” Zayn whispers, nose wrinkling around his smile. “Like, truly, madly, deeply -”

Liam snorts, his smile pushing against the round of his cheeks as he knocks their foreheads together. “Donut.”

“Hey,” Zayn says in mock offense, face crumpling around a frown but the laughter in his eyes make them bright. “It’s your fault you made me foolishly, completely fall -”

Liam rolls them until he is hovering over Zayn so he can press his laugh to Zayn’s cheeks. Zayn chuckles too, fingers slipping up Liam’s bare back to press him down against him. “I am in love with you, too.”

Zayn raises a brow. “Yeah? So baby, say you’ll always keep me?”

Liam nods, his expression falling into something serious as he remembers their conversation the night before about forever. How casually Zayn had mentioned marriage and his curiosity about whether or not their kids would call Liam Daddy or Papa, because _Liam, Papa just fits you -_

And Liam is sure he did it because Zayn knows Liam needs to hear it whenever they part, that when they get back together it won’t change anything. Liam knows nothing will change, ever, but the fear of it still clings to him sometimes -

“Of course, I promise,” Liam mutters, sliding a palm over Zayn’s forehead before sliding it over the top of his head. “How did you know that I’ve had that song stuck in my head all morning?”

Zayn’s cheeks burn red as he shrugs some, teeth gnawing at his bottom lip. Liam waits, watching Zayn’s grin grow though it remains nervous.

“Was singing it to you after you fell asleep last night,” he admits quietly. “You’re kinda cute when you sleep and I wanted to make sure you were dreaming about me.”

Liam collapses on top of him, resting his cheek against his shoulder and pressing his lips to his cheek, trapping Zayn to the mattress like he is trying to keep him there. He doesn’t remember what he dreamt about, but he dreams about Zayn so often that he probably was last night too. “Watching me sleep? Bit creepy, babe.”

Zayn chuckles lowly, tilting his head to rest his lips against Liam’s forehead. “Love you, jaan. Love you forever.”


End file.
